Leaving the diaper is a process that the baby must do at his own pace, when he is ready and without pressure, and in which the role of the parents is to accompany him with understanding and a lot of patience.

We will talk about how to know if your son or daughter is ready or if it is preferable to wait a few months, and we will give you some tips to help them leave the diaper, a process that will be easier and more bearable if we do it respecting their rhythms .

Each child has his rhythm

The process of learning to control sphincters begins around the age of two, but it does not mean that when we complete them we should remove the diaper. Each child has their own rhythm, which may not be what the parents or the school expect .

The process of learning to control sphincters begins around the age of two, but it does not mean that when we complete them we should remove the diaper. Each child has their own rhythm, which may not be what the parents or the school expect .

Not all children have the same maturational rhythm , some do some things earlier and others later. A child should go out of diapers when he is ready to do so, and not when it seems to us or at school that he should.

At 30 months, that is, two and a half years, half of children control their sphincters. At 36 months, which is 3 years, 75% of children are able to go without a diaper, and at 42 months is when 95% of children do. That’s 3 and a half years and there’s still 5% to go.

This does not mean that we do nothing, you can always try to get the child to go to the bathroom to do it, but if he does not succeed, if days go by and there is no progress, there is no need to continue with it. The diaper is put back on and waits for it to be ready.

How do I know that my child is ready to leave the diaper?

As we say, sphincter control is a maturational process and there are certain signs that we can identify and that can indicate that he is ready to leave the diaper. They are signs that have to be given together and tell us about the maturity of the child to face this step.

• Balance and coordination : the child knows how to do physical activities such as walking well, running with some coordination, jumping with both feet, going up and down stairs alternating both legs.
• Retains urine for longer : we see that we change the diaper less often, that long periods of time pass between pees.
• The diaper bothers him: sometimes it is the child himself who gives us a clear signal; he takes it off, it bothers him to be wet and he doesn’t want to wear a diaper anymore.
• He tells us when he feels like it : the child begins to identify the need to pee and tells us with some word “pee”, “poop”, “Bath”. Sometimes he doesn’t know the difference between pee and poop, but he feels the need to go to the bathroom.
• He is interested in going to the bathroom: he accompanies you, he looks at you, he asks you, he is interested in the steps to be taken (sitting down, wiping himself with toilet paper, washing his hands…).

Keys to help you leave the diaper

• Urinal or toilet reducer? You can choose either of the two, the important thing is that the child can access it comfortably. There are children who use the potty as a preliminary step to the toilet (because they find it attractive and fun) and others who do not. If you opt for the WC you will need a reducer adapter for the lid and a ladder, a footrest or a stool so that you can climb on your own. There are those who recommend it in front of the potty as a more natural transition to the WC. Give your child freedom to choose which one he feels most comfortable with.
• Encourage him to use the potty or the toilet : accompany him every so often, if necessary every ten minutes. If the pee does not come out, do not get angry or scold him. Always insist on the same ritual so that the child learns to repeat it automatically.
• Go from diaper to diaper briefs or training pants : they are more like underwear and help the little one to develop the ability to pull on and off clothes to use the toilet. They are easier to remove than the normal diaper and make the job easier when accidents happen, which always happen!
• Put him in comfortable clothes : if it is summer, better because he will have fewer clothes, but put him in clothes that are easy for him to take off to go to the bathroom independently. No laces, buttons or bodysuits with snaps at the crotch.
• Books and stories: they are a great tool because they help children to feel identified with the characters. Here we leave you some titles that deal with the subject in a respectful way. Children ‘s songs or videos that motivate you can also be a great resource to lean on.

We must be very patient, respectful and empathic throughout the process, and be aware that there will be escapes and setbacks.